Greenpeace, Aardman and Oscar winning actors collaborate

Greenpeace and Aardman, the award-winning creators of Wallace & Gromit, have today launched a powerful new animated film highlighting the plight of the world’s oceans. Turtle Journey tells the heartbreaking story of a turtle family heading home through an ocean that is under increasing pressure from climate change, plastic pollution, oil drilling and overfishing.

Characters in the film are voiced by Oscar winners Olivia Colman and Dame Helen Mirren, along with Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey, Stranger Things’ David Harbour, Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter, and comedian Ahir Shah.

Louisa Casson, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said:
“Our oceans are in crisis, with six out of seven sea turtle species threatened with extinction. Aardman’s global popularity and distinctive blend of humour and emotion can bring this message to people around the world, spurring bold action to protect the oceans.

“Governments have an opportunity to take action at the United Nations this year when they meet to agree on a new Global Ocean Treaty. A strong treaty would pave the way for a global network of fully protected ocean sanctuaries, placing 30% of the world’s oceans off-limits to exploitation by humans and giving marine species such as turtles a chance to recover and thrive.”

Turtle Journey ends with a call to action, urging viewers to sign Greenpeace’s petition calling for a Global Ocean Treaty. Turtle Journey is available to watch under embargo here.

Olivia Colman, voicing the turtle family’s mother, said:“Home is the most important thing we have. A safe space for us and our family to live. But we’re taking that away from turtles, whales, penguins and so many other incredible animals. Most of us instinctively love the oceans and care about the amazing marine life that lives there, but far fewer people know how much pressure they are under. If we don’t act now we risk causing irreversible harm to our oceans and losing species for good.

“I’m thrilled to have worked on this heartbreaking film with Greenpeace and Aardman – it’s so important. Our oceans face so many threats, some I wasn’t even aware of before this, and sadly the story of this turtle family trying to get home in a damaged and changing ocean is a reality for so many marine creatures that are having their habitats destroyed by human activities. I hope this film inspires more people to take action to protect our oceans.”

Dame Helen Mirren, voicing the turtle family’s grandmother, said:“During my lifetime, I’ve seen nature being destroyed on an unimaginable scale by human activity. I’m saddened that our generation will leave to future generations a damaged planet, which has already lost so much of the biodiversity that makes it special. However, we have a chance to do something now and leave a legacy of properly protected oceans to all the people who come after us.

“We can’t bring back what we’ve already lost, but we can protect what we still have. I hope this film will help to make more people realise the ocean is worth protecting, and inspires us to act before it’s too late.”

To coincide with the film’s launch, Greenpeace will be releasing a new report on the threats facing sea turtles, which shows that the heartbreaking story of the turtle family in Turtle Journey is shockingly close to reality. The report, Turtles Under Threat, is available under embargo on request.